Wispy smoke coming from rear passenger side of engine in '97 Avalon.

[Carm]

Its more than likely a coolant leak. If you didnt replace the radiator yourself take it back to the guy who installed it and tell him what is happening.

[cbelt3]

Dennis - sudden bad thought ... What does the oil on the dipstick look like ? If it's "foamy " you have a leak from the coolant jacket into the engine block. Which is BAD.

[btfc]

"There's a good amount of coolant in the overflow reservoir."


Check for air in the cooling system by squeezing the larger radiator hoses. (while the engine is cool)

[Dennis S]

cbelt3 wrote:
Dennis - sudden bad thought ... What does the oil on the dipstick look like ? If it's "foamy " you have a leak from the coolant jacket into the engine block. Which is BAD.

No, it's really nice looking.

[cbelt3]

Dennis - whew. Ok. I was having visions of a Buick with a cracked block that ended up as a lab rat for a high school auto shop program..

[Dennis S]

This is not the Buick. It's the old Avalon I'm trying to drive while the Buick is in the shop.